It is the duty of the
Forest Service to see to it that the timber, water-powers, mines, and
every other resource of the forests is used for the benefit of the
people who live in the neighborhood or who may have a share in the
welfare of each locality. It is equally its duty to cooeperate with all
our people in every section of our land to conserve a fundamental
resource, without which this Nation cannot prosper.
CHAPTER V
WATERWAYS
The connection between forests and rivers is like that between father
and son. No forests, no rivers. So a forester may not be wholly beyond
his depth when he talks about streams. The conquest of our rivers is one
of the largest commercial questions now before us.
The commercial consequences of river development are incalculable. Its
results cannot be measured by the yard-stick of present commercial
needs. River improvement means better conditions of transportation than
we have now, but it means development too. We cannot see this problem
clearly and see it whole in the light of the past alone.
The actual problems of river development are not less worthy of our
best attention than their commercial results.
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